This easy chicken tagine combines tender chicken with sweet apple and a fragrant blend of spices, including rosemary, ginger and Ras El Hanout. The ingredients are gently sautéed before being simmered together, creating a deliciously aromatic dish with a lovely balance of sweet and savoury flavours.

Finished with a sprinkle of sumac, this is a simple and comforting tagine that’s perfect served with couscous, rice or warm flatbreads.

• 25g salted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red apple, cored and cut into wedges
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 sprigs rosemary, 3 finely chopped and 1 left whole
• 2″ piece of ginger, grated
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 heap tbsp Ras El Hanout
• 2 red chillies, left whole
• 400g chicken, skinless — breast, thighs or a mixture
• 400g tin plum tomatoes
• 200ml water
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• Sea salt & pepper
• Sumac, to serve (optional)

• Prepare the apple. Core the apple and cut it into wedges. You can leave the skin on or remove it if preferred. Set aside.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the apple wedges and cook for a few minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the onion to the same pan and cook gently until softened. Add the chopped rosemary, grated ginger and garlic, cinnamon stick, Ras El Hanout and whole chillies. Stir well and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the chicken and season with salt and black pepper. Cook for a few minutes, turning the chicken so it becomes lightly browned and coated in the spices.
• Pour in the plum tomatoes and water, using enough water to cover the chicken.
• Drizzle in the honey and season well with salt and pepper. Stir, then tuck in the extra rosemary sprig.
• Simmer, covered, on low for 15 minutes if using breast, 25 minutes if using thighs.
• Remove the lid, add the apple back to the pan and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. This will help reduce the sauce slightly. Try not to overcook if using breast as they will be dry. I would say only 5 minutes more for breast, closer to 10 for thighs. Just try not reducing the sauce too much.
• Serve with a sprinkle of sumac.